Gangubai
Hangal, born on 5 March 1913, was an
Indian vocalist in the Hindustani (North
Indian) classical tradition and doyenne of the Kirana gharana
(community of performers who share a distinctive musical style). She was
especially admired for her performances of songs of the khayal genre over
the course of a career that spanned nearly seven decades.
Hangal’s reputation as a virtuoso started to rise in
the mid-1930s, when she began to make recordings and perform more frequently
outside her immediate community.
By the early 1940s, she had become a well-known
figure in Hindustani music as a result of her broadcasts on All India Radio
and her busy schedule of concert appearances across the country. Initially, she
sang bhajans, or Hindu devotional songs, light Marathi-language
songs, and semiclassical songs known as thumris,
as well as khayal
classical songs. By the mid-1940s, however, she had shifted her focus almost
fully to khayal.
Hangal’s vocal quality, sensitivity to pitch and
melody, and technical proficiency were among the most remarkable features of
her style. She sang with a distinctively bold, almost masculine, tone. She
typically introduced the melodic framework—the raga—of each piece
gradually, so that the audience could savour and recognize the importance of
each pitch. Impeccably intoned and ornamented passages of improvisation using
solmization syllables also figured prominently in her performances.
For her contribution to Indian classical music, Hangal received several
honours. In 1973 she received the Sangeet Natak Akademi (India’s national
academy of music, dance, and drama) award. Hangal was also awarded the Padma
Bhushan (1971) and the Padma Vibhushan (2002), two of India’s
highest civilian honours.
